Guide · Trip planning

All-inclusive trip to Rovaniemi for the northern lights: how to plan it

Whether a package or self-planned: here you will find out how to get to Rovaniemi, how many nights to plan, where to stay, and how to use the evenings for the northern lights.

Check availabilityfrom $228 · free cancellation

Editorial rovaniemipolarlichter.deUpdated on October 3, 20266 min read15 sources

Rovaniemi: Northern Lights Tour with Guarantee The Tour for This Guide Rovaniemi: Northern Lights Tour with Guarantee 4.6 (4,381 reviews) 8 hoursAt most 8 guestsPickup Included from$228per person Check availabilityFree cancellation up to 24 hours in advance

In short

01Getting there
The airport is 10 kilometers from the city center, and from Helsinki a night train also runs.12
02Travel season
The northern lights season runs from late August to early April.3
03Nights
Plan several evenings: whether you see the northern lights depends mainly on the clouds.
04Accommodation
In the city center you can reach Ounasvaara on foot and are close to restaurants and museums.
05Tour
A night in a small group with pickup and guarantee is available from $228.

Package or self-planned

Anyone who wants to experience the northern lights in Rovaniemi faces a choice at the start: book everything in one package or put the trip together yourself. An all-inclusive northern lights trip to Rovaniemi bundles flights, accommodation, and often a few excursions. That is convenient, especially if you are traveling to Lapland for the first time and do not want to worry about much. The package price, however, tells you little about your chances of seeing the northern lights, because those are decided on the evenings, not at the travel agency.

Those who plan on their own have more flexibility. You choose the accommodation based on location, stay as many nights as you like, and decide on site which tour fits your evening. This way, northern lights trips to Rovaniemi can also be built without a package: transport and bed booked in advance, the evenings flexible. You can now reserve the tour on this page, pay later, and cancel for free up to 24 hours before.

A middle-ground option is a package with flights and hotel only, to which you add the evenings yourself. This way you take advantage of bundled prices for getting there while keeping the freedom to search for the northern lights. For each offer, check what is really included: transfers, excursions, meals. And check whether a northern lights tour is firmly included or only offered as an option that you have to book separately later.

Sample trip

One week in Rovaniemi in winter

  1. Arrival day

    Arrive and settle in

    A short walk to Ounasvaara, which is reachable on foot from the city center.4

  2. First full day

    Town and Arktikum

    At the Arktikum you will find the Arctic Centre and the Lapland Provincial Museum.5

  3. Second evening

    Northern lights tour

    Small group of up to 8 guests, pickup included, about 8 hours.

  4. A day in between

    Santa Claus Village

    Located at the Arctic Circle and open every day of the year.6

  5. More evenings

    Forecast and spots

    Check the forecast at the Finnish Meteorological Institute.7

  6. Departure day

    Sleep in and head back

    After a long night, choose a late return flight or the overnight train.

Getting there by plane or night train

Rovaniemi lies right on the Arctic Circle and is nevertheless easy to reach.8 The airport is only 10 kilometers from the city center, so the drive into town is short.1 Sort out the transfer in advance though, especially if you land late in the evening and the cold is waiting outside. After a long travel day, you do not want to be standing at a stop and waiting for a bus.

A nice alternative is the train. Night trains run from Helsinki to Rovaniemi, you sleep on the way and save a hotel night.2 The journey can be part of the holiday itself: outside, the snowy forest rolls past, and you arrive in the north without rush. Do not plan the connection too tightly with a booked tour on the same evening though, because in winter not every train runs on schedule.

No matter how you arrive: do not commit the first evening straight away to an expensive tour. After traveling you will be tired, and the cold is unfamiliar. A short walk up to Ounasvaara, which is reachable on foot from the city center, is enough to start getting used to the night in the north. The next evening you are well rested and ready for hours outside.

Experiences

Tours for your evenings

ExperienceTypeDurationPrice from
Northern lights sleigh rideSleigh3 hrsfrom $89
Snow train to the northern lights campSnow train4.5 hrsfrom $129
Ice Floating in the forest lakeLakes and Ice2.5 hoursfrom $144
Snowmobile Safari with CampfireSnowmobile4 hrsfrom $160
Sauna and Ice Bath with DinnerSauna4 hrsfrom $191
Northern Lights Tour with GuaranteeSmall group8 hrs.from $228

Prices and durations come from the offers on GetYourGuide; what you end up paying depends on the date and the option you choose.

Travel Types

Short Trip, Week, or Package

Short Trip, A Long Weekend Little Time

Short Trip

A Long Weekend

Evenings
a few
Tour
one targeted night
Risk
Clouds on all evenings
View Tours
A Week, More Evenings, More Chances Recommended

A Week

More Evenings, More Chances

Evenings
several
Tour
choose based on forecast
Days
Time for Excursions
View Tours
Travel Package, Flight, Hotel, Excursions Convenient

Travel Package

Flight, Hotel, Excursions

Planning
Little Effort
Flexibility
low
Check
whether a tour is included
View Tours

Decision helper

Which Way of Getting There Fits You?

Choose what matters most to you.

Airplane

The airport is 10 kilometers from the center.1

Night Train

From Helsinki, night trains go to Rovaniemi.2

Travel Package

Flight and hotel come from one source; check which excursions are included.

Plan it yourself

This tour on this page is free to cancel up to 24 hours before.

Even Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland, has dark sky not far away. Just a short trip out of town, to a frozen lake or an open fell, makes a real difference.

Visit FinlandTranslated from English · Source 9

How many nights you should plan

The most important ingredient for a northern lights trip is time. In northern Finland, the northern lights appear on roughly 200 nights a year.10 Whether you see them, though, is decided by the sky above you: if clouds hang low, even strong lights stay hidden. With each additional night, the chance grows that one of the evenings will be clear and you will be outside at exactly that moment.

A long weekend can be enough if you are lucky with the weather. It is more relaxed with a full week or at least several evenings where you stay flexible. Then you watch the forecast and schedule the tour for the evening that looks best. Because the tour on this page can be cancelled for free up to 24 hours before, you can also choose a time on short notice.

The northern lights season in Rovaniemi runs from late August to early April.3 At the end of December the sun does not rise above the horizon at all, and the city then experiences polar night in deep blue.11 In summer, on the other hand, the sun does not set at all during the official midnight sun from early June to early July.12 For the northern lights it is simply too bright then, a trip is only worth it during the dark season.

Map

Rovaniemi at a glance

Ounasvaara is on the edge of town; airport and Santa Claus Village to the north.

Map of Rovaniemi with Ounasvaara, Arktikum, city center, airport and Santa Claus Village 1Ounasvaara2City center3Arktikum4Santa Claus Village5Airport
Rovaniemi
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
  1. 1
    Ounasvaara

    Within walking distance from the city center, with elevated viewpoints and a relatively dark environment for observing the northern lights.4

    In Google Maps ↗
  2. 2
    City center

    Those who go just a short way out of town already find dark sky, according to Visit Finland.9

    In Google Maps ↗
  3. 3
    Arktikum

    Seat of the Arctic Center of the University of Lapland and the Lapland Regional Museum.5

    In Google Maps ↗
  4. 4
    Santa Claus Village

    Located on the Arctic Circle and open every day of the year.6

    In Google Maps ↗
  5. 5
    Airport

    Rovaniemi airport is 10 kilometers from the city center.1

    In Google Maps ↗
Open the map in Google Maps

Checklist

Before you book

01

Travel

  • Choose travel time between late August and early April
  • Plan several evenings for the northern lights
  • Sort out airport transfer
02

Accommodation and tour

  • Place to dry gloves and shoes
  • Read the tour cancellation rules
  • Choose a tour with free cancellation

Cost calculator

What the evenings cost for your group

This is how much the northern lights night costs for your travel group.

people 2

Total from$456

from per person $228

Check availabilityfree cancellation

Departure prices according to GetYourGuide, converted at the ECB reference rate. The exact price is shown when you book.

Video

Travel vlog Rovaniemi: the city in winter

The video only loads when you tap Play.

Where to stay in Rovaniemi

The question of the right hotel in Rovaniemi depends on how you want to spend your evenings. In the city center you are close to restaurants, shops, and the Arktikum, where the Arctic Center of the University of Lapland and the Lapland Regional Museum are located.5 In the evenings, though, it is bright there, and for the northern lights you have to go a bit out of the glow of the streetlights.

Those who stay on the outskirts often have darker skies right outside the door. Even Rovaniemi has dark skies quite nearby, and even a short trip out of the city, for example to a frozen lake, makes a real difference.9 For that, you rely more on bus, taxi, or a pickup for restaurants and excursions. So think about whether you would rather go for an evening stroll or wander around during the day.

For a tour, the location matters less than many think. The tour on this page includes pickup, so you do not have to drive out yourself. Nevertheless, make sure your accommodation has a place to dry gloves and shoes. After a long night in the cold, a warm, dry room is worth more than any view, and in the morning you will gladly put on dry socks again.

During the day: what else you can do

The northern lights belong to the night, the days are free. The Santa Claus Village is on the Arctic Circle and is open every day of the year.6 You can stop there just briefly for a photo or spend half a day among reindeer, shops, and snow. With children, this quickly becomes the highlight of the trip, but adults also enjoy the snowy setting.

At the Arktikum you will learn a lot about life in the far north, a good plan for a particularly cold afternoon.5 Those who prefer something more active can book a snowmobile ride during the day or a visit to reindeer or huskies. In Finland, the rule for snowmobiles applies: if you want to drive on official routes and cross roads yourself, you need a Class T driver's license.13 With guided tours, you clarify this in advance with the operator.

Do not overfill the days. A northern lights night can be long, the tour on this page is designed for 8 hours. Anyone who has to get out of bed early the next day will be tired and enjoy the search less. A quiet morning, a lunch in the city, and a short excursion in the afternoon are a good rhythm for a week on the Arctic Circle.

The evenings: tours, spots, and weather

If you book only one tour, choose it with care. The tour on this page goes out in a small group with at most 8 guests, includes pickup, and offers a guarantee: northern lights or money back if the conditions make it impossible. It costs from $228 per person and is rated 4.64 out of 4,381 reviews.

Cheaper tours are available too. A northern lights hunt with guarantee and photos starts from $101, a snowmobile safari with campfire from $160. If you have several evenings, you can combine different types: one night hunting for clear skies and an evening with a snowmobile or sled ride, where the experience counts and the lights are a bonus.

On evenings without a tour, it is still worth looking up. Ounasvaara is reachable on foot from the city center and offers elevated viewpoints in a relatively dark environment.4 The best chances are often between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m.14 Dress warmly for this: in winter the average temperatures in Rovaniemi are between -10 °C and -20 °C.15

Book the tour

Tonight the sky could turn green over the forests.

Reserve now, pay later, and cancel for free up to 24 hours before the start.

Check datesfrom $228 · free cancellation 4.6 · 4,381 verified reviews

You ask,we answer.

How do I get to Rovaniemi?

By flight or night train. The airport is 10 kilometers from the city center, and night trains run from Helsinki to Rovaniemi.12

How many nights should I stay?

Several, if possible. Northern lights need a clear sky; with each additional evening the chance of a cloud-free night increases.

When is the season?

Late August to early April. During this period, the northern lights are possible in Rovaniemi.3

Is a northern lights tour included in the travel package?

Not always. Check whether the tour is included in the offer or available only as an option.

How cold does it get in winter?

On average -10 to -20 °C. These are the average winter temperatures in Rovaniemi.15

What can I do during the day?

Santa Claus Village and Arktikum. The Santa Claus Village at the Arctic Circle is open every day of the year, and the Arktikum showcases life in the far north.65

Can I cancel tours at short notice?

Up to 24 hours in advance. The tour on this page allows free cancellation up to that time.

Sources

What this guide is based on

  1. 1↩
  2. 2
    VR GroupNight trains
    ↩
  3. 3↩
  4. 4↩
  5. 5↩
  6. 6↩
  7. 7
    Finnish Meteorological InstituteAuroras and space weather
    ↩
  8. 8↩
  9. 9↩
  10. 10↩
  11. 11↩
  12. 12↩
  13. 13
    Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency)Snowmobiler – do you know the rules?
    ↩
  14. 14↩
  15. 15↩

Read more

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Rovaniemi: Northern Lights Tour with Guarantee 4.6 (4,381) · Free cancellation Usually books out 6 days in advance from$228 Check availabilityfrom $228 · pay later